Girl with a Pearl Earring

Half a day later, and I was still going over Francis’ words.

Each passing second in this world felt like it added two more questions to my plate. First it was Lilly, then the recession—now everything felt like a massive tangled web with no solution in sight.

“Damn it!” I pushed against my bedframe and shoved the pillow across the room. It's pathetic, floping only enraged my fire in my stomach more. The thought of training made my forehead curl, but at least I had some time to think before then.

That was at least one saving grace of this world. With the yellow sun rising so early in the morning, our daily exercises never had to be in the dark, with all the hassles that would have caused. Still, the thought of having to train was never one that excited me.

Francis wasn’t helping things either. I had always been rather decent at wordplay, never exceptional but genuinely above the pack, but the way Francis wove in details and faces made the whole thing feel like some sort of puzzle only he knew the answer to. There wasn’t a cheat guide; it was me and Aila against the world.

That didn’t account for East either. I couldn’t place Francis’s feeling on the god, but it was clear he was connected somehow.

“Bzzz.” A ringing sound echoed through the hall. My freedom had run out.

With a groan, I put on my uniform and marched to the door. Richard reveled in yelling at the sorry recruits who dared to show up late to his training. By one minute or ten, the punishment was the same.

Yet I wasn’t greeted by the normal upperclassman carrying their obnoxious staff.

“Rin, come on!” Before I could breathe, Aila dragged me by my arm out into the hall. “We can’t miss it!”

“Miss what?” I asked, bewildered.

“Thien is making a major announcement.” Her words came between ragged breaths. “I heard through the grapevine. Lilly’s involved.”

That was all I needed to hear. “Let’s go.”

֎ ֎ ֎

Like the day Thien arrived, the entrance hall was packed to the brim. Trainees, young and ol,d packed every inch of the stuffy room, more emotions than I thought possible on their faces.

Forget grabbing a chair, I couldn’t even see them. Last time, Thien’s visit attracted most of the unit. But now nobody had dared miss it.

“Attention!” A single word from Richard silenced the room. “In a few moments, General Blackwell will come in with a proposition. This is an optional task; however, I urge you to take his words seriously. As members of Unit E, you are the most talented batch of trainees this country has to offer. Remember that.”

“That's a positive sign,” Aila muttered.

With those parting words, Richard stepped to the side of the crowd. The typically dominant man looked almost small, hunched, and with his hands held close.

A final hush spread across the room with Thien’s entrance. Not even the occasional whisper managed to survive.

He gallantly wore his red cloak, letting the medals on his chest shine in the water powered lights. “Thank you, Unit E. In these trying times, you are the best people I could turn to.”

From his pocket, he pulled out a red ruby. Even from all the way back here, I could still tell its quality, greater than anything I’d seen on Earth. “This ruby took quite the journey to reach my hands. It was stolen thrice, lost a multitude of times, and several lives have been sacrificed to obtain this simple rock.”

That wasn’t the intro I expected. I pushed through the crowd to get a better look, though with the room this jam packed I couldn’t make it very far.

Yet still, from here I could tell it wasn’t any normal gem. I’d seen artificial gems on the TV, and this looked more pristine than even those. I couldn’t tell if it was some Senn or another unknown type of magic. Something was special about the ruby.

“This used to be the eye of Joffery, king of Runa, before Lilly the assassin took his life.”

That stirred up the crowd. All around me cries of confusion and anger came out. “H-his eye?” Aila stuttered out.

“You heard him,” I said. Lilly’s name was making it hard to focus, but for once I was able to push that aside for a second. “Listen.”

“I know most of you are shocked at my words. What I am about to tell you is under stage three classification. If this gets out it risks not only your safety, but the safety of his majesty as well.”

This was big time. Just compared to those few sentences everything we had done so far felt like child's play. I had read enough of those fantasy light novels in Japan to know that the real fight was just getting started. Forget bandits, burning villages, and chores around the city.

Thien continued. “Everyone assuredly knows the horrors caused by Lilly the assassin at this point, but so far, no motive has officially been given.”

He held up the ruby into the light. “That is where these gems come in. With each kill, Lilly transforms both eyes of her victim into jewels just like this one. Sapphire for Ell, ruby for Runa, and so on. It is to obtain these gems that she has committed these senseless murders. She only ever takes one gem, however, leaving the other to rot in her victim’s corpse.”

I unconsciously held my breath. I’d never seen Lilly bother to look towards a gem before, more evidence she hopefully wasn’t involved.

“The purpose of these gems is unknown. What we do know is the reason she’s collecting them.” He dug into his pockets again, this time taking out a familiar wanted poster. Not Lilly’s, but Seth, the wanted poster just above hers when I found out about Lilly’s supposed crimes. “This is a face I am sure everyone in Gallai knows well. Seth, the leader of RiverLight, and the man looking to kill the gods!”

“How much do you know about him?” Aila had shoved her way closer to me, wearing an expression overflowing with nervousness.

“More than enough. Rin, that’s the man who leads the group that burned down those villages! He’s a monster and a terrorist who thrives on people’s suffering.”

“Sounds like the type to frame Lilly.” Aila’s expression only darkened as I spoke.

Thien went on. “Now, we have recently learned that with the king of Ell dead, Lilly’s next target is his royal majesty.”

An outburst followed those words. It was logical in a sense, if she was apparently killing kings, then eventually Gallai would have to be on the list. But now it was suddenly here.

“Now, I summon you, Unit E! Lilly is no ordinary foe. Our tacticians estimate that if we up security, she will simply withdraw and wait for another day. But students? A few rookies getting invited to their first royal ball surely wouldn’t sound off any alarms. We will send those who volunteer to the royal ball, and surprise the assassin with the best and brightest Gallai has to offer!”

He cleared his throat, letting the ambiance settle. “Now then. Who amongst you will volunteer for this–”

“I will.” Before he finished, I shoved and wrestled my way to the front. “I, Rei Suzuki, will take on this challenge.”

“Stop!” Richard marched over. “I will not allow our newest member to throw his life away for this.”

“Throw my life away?” I scoffed, turning to the crowd. “Everyone! I may not have the same experience in this world as some of you, but I know Lilly better than anyone else in any world. We were summoned together to this hell. She is more things than I can count, but a murderer is not one of those. Let me face her! Let me determine if the assassin is really her or some evil force of Riverlight using her as a shield.”

Richard stormed over. “What did I tell you! As a soldier–”

“Richard, wait a moment.” Thien raised an eyebrow. “Rin, let me ask a question. “Let’s say the assassin turns out to be Lilly. There's no trick, no mind control, no disguise. What will you do?”

“Take her in.”

Thien grinned and gave a nod of approval. “Very well. Let Rin start as our counterpoint. Who else will join him in an effort to save the kingdom?”